


Reason Why

by merlin07



Category: Doctor Who
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-17
Updated: 2016-12-17
Packaged: 2018-09-09 07:52:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 14,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8882344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merlin07/pseuds/merlin07
Summary: Sequel to Lest We Forget





	1. Chapter 1

There were some definite advantages to being a kept man, John mused as he knelt in the bright morning sun. He smiled up at the warmth, letting it shine on his face for a while before he turned his attentions back to the patch of ground in front of him.

Violet had gone off to her job at Torchwood, leaving him to occupy his day as he saw fit. She never demanded anything of him, only asking that he be there when she returned. Her love was unconditional. She put up with his odd sleeping habits, his fumblings as he tried to figure out his place in the universe, the experiments and tinkering in their cellar and his sometimes mercurial mood swings and asked nothing in return.

So of course he went out of his way to try to please her. 

This morning's farmer's market shopping trip had yielded some fine fresh vegetables that he planned to cook up for their dinner later, and two flats of deep purple violets. Which was why he was kneeling in front of a neglected square of ground in their garden, pulling weeds and tilling the soil.

He would have never imagined that this is what his life would end up being. His memories, courtesy of The Doctor were of battles, saving worlds, making the universe safe...not planting flowers in a garden on an early spring day.

Still, he reasoned, it was his existence now. And even if it wasn't the most exciting one he had the advantage of waking up with Violet in his arms every morning, or if he didn't sleep that night, holding her until she woke. Either way he was never alone and that was worth all the rest of it.

The ground was hard as a rock and trying to loosen it was thirsty work. Taking a break he stood up to go into the house for a cool drink. He had just reached the door when a loud grinding sound filled the air and the TARDIS materialised in the garden, coming to land right on top of flowers.

John groaned as he heard the plastic containers snap, clearly seeing in his mind's eye the crushed flowers underneath the blue box.

The Doctor flung open the doors and stepped out. Seeing the pained look on John's face he was momentarily confused. But following his almost-clone's gaze he saw an edge of plastic sticking out from under the TARDIS and a couple of rather sad looking crushed flowers.

"Oops," he declared, then pointing at the time capsule asked, "should I move her?"

"Damage is done already," John sighed, "what are you doing here? Aside from killing harmless plants."

"I'll buy you replacements," The Doctor bent to pluck the bit of plant and held it to his nose, "violets, nice!"

"They were nice," John replied, "now they're mulch."

The Time Lord looked pained as if he had landed the TARDIS on the Wicked Witch of the East instead of some flowers. John took pity on him, "I can get more," he smiled, "the market's full of them at the moment," then he repeated, "what are you doing here?"

"This is something best explained to both you and Violet," The Doctor finally tore his eyes from the TARDIS.

"Has something happened to David?" John demanded, his eyes narrowed.

"No, he's fine, in fact he's part of the reason I'm here," the Time Lord replied.

"Why don't I ring Violet and ask her to come home a bit early, since I'm lousy at playing twenty questions, and you don't seem to want to tell me without her being here," the meta-crisis offered. Then slightly under his breath he added, "and I'm losing my patience."

"Might be best," The Doctor nodded, "and while we're waiting you can show me this market and we can get you some more flowers!"


	2. Chapter 2

When Violet arrived home she wasn't quite sure what she was coming back to. John had said they had an unexpected guest but had been frustratingly vague as to who it was. She half expected to see her mum prowling around the house ready to take her to task for her decorating tastes, or lack thereof.

But the house was empty. 

Looking out into the garden she first saw the big blue box, then as she trotted to the back door with a wide smile on her face she saw two almost identical unruly manes of brown hair bent low over a vividly purple and green patch over to one side of the yard.

"Oh those are lovely!" she breathed out leaning down to hug The Doctor and to give her husband a quick kiss. Then she straightened up, "you didn't come all this way to plant flowers did you?" she addressed the Time Lord.

He stood up, dusting the knees of his trousers off and blinking in the bright sun light a few times before answering, "actually, no," he started, then looking around gestured towards the house, "this is something best discussed over a good cup of tea." 

Violet made the tea while John threw together some sandwiches and then they all sat down at the table. John was fairly thrumming with the effort to not demand that The Doctor tell them why he was there, but one look at his wife silently pleading with her eyes for him to be patient made him keep quiet.

After the first cups of tea were finished The Doctor sat back, "excellent tea, thanks!" he poured a bit more in his cup, "and I rather liked the idea of mixing tuna with olive oil and peppers instead of mayonnaise," he smiled at John.

The last of his patience finally exhausted John shot back, "I'll give you the recipe later," he ground his teeth in frustration, "now why are you here?"

"I, ah, recently had a lot of time on my hands," The Doctor paused, and just when the meta-crisis wanted to smack him, hard, he continued, "and I spent a lot it thinking about you two."

He took a sip from his tea before pressing on, "you both have sacrificed so much for me, and I've given you so little in return," as they started to protest that he raised his hands, cutting them off, "the more time I've spent with David, the more I realise how much you've given up. He is a pretty remarkable being and it's a shame how much of his life, well, most of it, you've missed out on."

Draining the last of his tea, he then set the cup down, "I know why you did, and I appreciate it, but the fact is; I can never repay you. So I've come here with a proposition. I can't undo the past but I can show you what your life, and his, would have been like had you not given him up."

Violet's reaction to this was to gasp then sob loudly as she clutched at John's chest with her hands, and laid her head on his shoulder. John's reaction was a bit more restrained, "why would you want to do that?" he asked, his voice low and dark, "when you know full well it may end up with us hating you?"

The Doctor nodded, "I've considered that, and it's a risk I'm willing to take."

"What if I'm not?" the other man asked softly.

"I don't expect you to answer right away," the Time Lord spoke after a while, "the offer is open ended."

Rising from his seat John lifted the still crying Violet along with him and put his arm around her shoulder, "will you excuse us for a minute?" he asked as he led his wife into the sitting room, "have another sandwich..."

The Doctor nodded sadly, and watched them leave the room. He hadn't quite anticipated this reaction to his offer but he was not surprised by it either. 

Taking another sandwich from the plate in front of him, he lifted the top crust to peek at the contents. This one was cream cheese and chives! He grinned widely before taking a big bite of it, sighing as the flavours hit his sensitive and now delighted taste buds.


	3. Chapter 3

Holding her tightly in his arms, John waited until Violet got herself back under control. She attempted to smile at him through her still tear moistened eyes, but could only manage a trembling approximation of one.

It froze on her face as she looked into her husband's dark eyes. "You don't want to do this, do you?"

He took a deep breath, "it's a very generous offer and it's very tempting but I just can't see how this would accomplish anything. Or to be more precise, anything positive."

"You can't tell me you've never wondered?" Violet pressed on, "and maybe this will put some of that to rest."

John's mind was whirling with a million reasons why this was a bad idea, his Time Lord instincts, although muted a bit by his human half, knew that this was wrong. Time could never be rewritten, and should never be toyed with. He wanted to shake The Doctor so hard that his teeth rattled for even suggesting it. 

But the pleading look in his wife's eyes overrode all that. He knew the minute the offer was placed before them that Violet would want to do this, but she would never do it on her own. He had to agree to it as well.

What if he didn't? 

He knew Violet would never bring it up again, she wouldn't throw it in his face in a fit of anger but the resentment would always be there. He saw glimpses of that same grudge holding capacity in her dealings with The Doctor. 

As much as she loved him, he knew, there was some part of her that would never forgive the Time Lord for abandoning her, even if it wound up for the best. Or at least he thought it was, part of him would always wonder if she had settled for him because she couldn't have The Doctor.

John knew he couldn't take that silent anger, that hint of betrayal she had in her eyes whenever she looked at The Doctor. It would kill him to know that by refusing her this opportunity that he had somehow let her down. The Time Lord seemed oblivious to her pain, or maybe he was just better at ignoring it, but if that ever was directed at him? John sighed inwardly, cursing himself for what he was about to say.

"If it means that much to you," he mustered a smile that his heart wasn't feeling, "then I'm willing to give it a shot."

Rejoining the Time Lord in the kitchen John was the first to speak, "Violet and I have talked it over, but before I agree to anything I need to know just how you propose to accomplish this?"

The Doctor's eyes flitted to Violet first then to the meta-crisis, and back, "the idea I had was that we'd take small glimpses at key times in the 'what-if' life. You'd have to be observers obviously you couldn't have any contact with your alternate selves. We wouldn't actually change history just see what would have taken place had you not made the switch."

John's brain was screaming at him to take a stand and expose the whole thing for the madness it was, but the knowledge of how much Violet wanted this coupled with the beseeching look on The Doctor's face, and knowing how much the Time Lord needed him to accept this offer, made his head hurt. 

He understood the burden of guilt The Doctor carried far too well and would give anything to help relieve him of some of it, even at the risk of harming himself. 

"You have to promise me that nothing will happen to David as a result of this, he won't blink out of existence or become someone he was never meant to be, and you'll keep Violet safe," John finally answered, "because if you do something stupid and we wind up causing any harm to anyone I'll make you regret you ever thought of this hare-brained scheme."

As if he had no idea he had just been threatened The Doctor smiled widely, "agreed!" he grabbed John's hand and shook it warmly.

Violet smiled just as widely and clapped her hands, "this is going to be great!" she chortled, even as she was painfully aware that her husband was not sharing in her joy.

It was agreed that they would start out early the next day. Violet was giggling like a school girl the rest of that evening as she and The Doctor reminisced about past adventures, all of which were also programmed into John's brain. He wished he could laugh with them as they talked about falling into open cesspools on Saturn and the various misunderstandings they had on previously unchartered worlds.

He pretended to smile, offering a polite chuckle at the right time but he couldn't shake the feeling that what they were about to do was wrong. At one point he looked up and found The Doctor staring at him, unblinkingly. And in that moment he knew that the Time Lord was also aware how wrong this was....


	4. Chapter 4

Violet yawned, pointedly, as the clock struck midnight. John knew this was a signal for him to join her in bed, but he wanted to speak to The Doctor, alone. She gave up after a few minutes hinting, and left the two men on their own.

"Why now?" John demanded without bothering with preliminaries.

"As I said," The Doctor countered, "I had a lot of time on my hands and, as you know I'm not normally given to introspection, but this just seemed like a good idea."

"It isn't, and you know it," the meta-crisis shot back.

The Time Lord nodded, "but it is necessary. You both have deep emotional scars from this, and it's time to heal them."

"And you think that this is going to accomplish that?" 

"It's the best thing I can come up with, you have the right to say no, I gave you the chance, you could have refused," The Doctor replied reasonably, "but you agreed to it."

"Only because Violet wants to, once you planted the idea in her head you had to know she wouldn't turn your offer down!" when he realised he was almost shouting at the Time Lord John took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down, "you had to know that."

Knowing that nothing else he could say would make The Doctor back down, John rose to his feet, "I'm going to bed, you're welcome to sleep in the spare room, the sheets are clean. I'll see you in the morning."

"This may be just what you need!" the Time Lord called after him. Wishing he believed that himself.

The next morning the scene at the breakfast table was quiet. Violet had gone through the motions of trying to sleep the night before. Making sure when John finally came to bed that she was still, but in truth she hadn't slept a wink.

The idea sounded so good at first. Visit what they would never have seen in their normal lives. But then John's words about winding up hating The Doctor, resenting him for their loss, kept replaying in her head. Part of her wanted to call the whole thing off. It wouldn't take anything to convince her husband, after all, she knew damn well he was against it from the very beginning.

Still...she never considered herself a coward. She was painfully aware of how this could change them forever. Yes, the events they'd witness would be shadows, shades of what could have been, so nothing would physically change. They'd return to their lives, and David's will not have been changed at all.

But the damage to their hearts, their souls would remain.

The silence had settled like a thick morning fog over the three of them that when John finally spoke up his voice seemed to boom out, "so what's the game plan?"

The Doctor blinked a few times as he came out of his fugue, "that's up to you. We could start the day you would have brought him home, or a year after or whatever you think is best."

After a bit of discussion they decided on the first visit to coincide with David's second birthday. As they piled into the TARDIS John got the urge to bolt, to pull Violet out of the time capsule and just forget the whole thing but seeing the eager light in his wife's eyes he remained silent.

Listening with his mind and willing his heart to be quiet he heard The Doctor and Violet discussing the pros and cons of various times in their son's life to pay a visit to knowing that the only input that would be required of him was to agree once the decision was made.


	5. Chapter 5

The TARDIS landed and Violet bounded towards the door only to be stopped by The Doctor, "remember, this is a very delicate thing. You can't have any contact with anyone and you can't be seen. We're observers, that's it."

Violet nodded gravely and took a deep breath before opening the doors. The Doctor followed close behind with John bringing up the rear.

The TARDIS had landed in a copse of woods, near Pete and Jackie's country home. As they approached, keeping to the shadows afforded by the trees they could see a long picnic table, covered in a white cloth piled high with food and a large birthday cake glistening with fairy frosting as the centre piece. 

As they grew closer they heard the sounds of many conversations and the easy laughter that comes from people who are having a good time. The clink of champagne glasses as the party got into full swing sounded like tiny bells ringing.

John scanned the crowd but didn't see himself, or Violet. Just as he was sure The Doctor had made an error in calculation, the back door opened and the singing started. Violet came out of the house, with a strawberry blonde smiling boy dressed in a sailor suit balanced on her hip. 

His heart skipped a beat as he focused on the toddler, and the proud smile on this version of Violet's face. He was about to say something to his Violet, when he felt her hand slip into his and heard her take a sharp breath in.

The Doctor was quiet, but as John looked over at him he could tell he too was trying to see where this reality's John had gotten to. Both men caught sight of him at the same time. Instead of joining the party he was off to one side, scanning the crowd warily. The only time his guard apparently slipped was when he clapped eyes on his wife and child. As he gazed upon them his eyes softened and a slight smile crossed his face but as he looked away his expression hardened once more.

The singing stopped as Violet sat at the head of the table with David balanced on her knees and the cake was moved closer to them. The two candles that were perched on top were lit in anticipation of the child blowing them out. 

John turned to Violet as she squeezed his hand harder, quiet tears were sliding down her cheeks in sharp contrast to the wide smile on her face. As much as he tried to hold his emotions at bay the impact of seeing this was hammering at his very core and making his throat tighten up as he struggled to keep everything in.

When it became apparent the boy didn't quite understand the whole ritual of candles Pete leaned in and blew them out. As he did this small hands dove into the white frosting much to the delight of those gathered around the table and in an attempt to taste the sugary substance wound up with a good deal smeared across his face and hair.

Violet was the first to speak, "let's go back to the TARDIS now," she suggested even as her eyes stayed focused on the vision before them.

The Doctor nodded and turned to leave, but Violet's feet seemed rooted to the spot even though he had been the one to suggest their departure. John put his arm around her shoulder which broke the spell, she gazed up at him with a sad smile. "He's beautiful," she breathed, "I just never imagined..." she trailed off as she buried her head in his chest, arms wrapped tight enough to hurt around his ribs, trembling in his embrace.

Once she had gotten herself back under control they walked, hand in hand, back to the time capsule. The sounds of the party still going strong as their soundtrack they stepped inside the TARDIS, both lost in their own thoughts.

"Where to next?" came the query, breaking the silence.

Violet wiped her free hand across her eyes and attempted a smile, "that was precious, thank you for that," she spoke in a voice still quivering with emotion, "give us a moment?"

The Doctor stepped over to the console and began to initiate the de-materialisation process, even though he didn't have a destination yet he used it as an excuse to give the clearly overwrought couple some breathing room.

As the TARDIS' engines ground into life the only other sound in the room was the soft whispers of conversation, almost too quiet for even the Time Lord's keen hearing to make out.


	6. Chapter 6

"Are you all right?" John asked as he bent to gaze into Violet's eyes.

"I will be, it just was..." she struggled to find the right words to describe what she had witnessed and the emotional impact it had on her. Finally she shrugged and gave up.

"We don't have to do this if it's too hard on you," he offered hoping she would come to her senses and cut this painful outing short. But in his heart of hearts he knew she would vote for continuing on.

"We'll never get this opportunity again," she replied, "how can we turn it down?"

She could see the look of doubt in her husband's dark eyes and quickly changed the subject, "I picked the last time, your turn."

The answer John wanted, with all his soul, to give her was to say he wanted to go home and stop this now. But he swallowed his protest and gave her directive some consideration.

"First day of school," he finally came up with, his mind grasping at straws.

Violet grinned, "I can't imagine David dressed in a school boy uniform..." she laughed, getting the mental image of the adult actor clad in short pants and a jacket.

John caught on immediately and laughed too, "now there's a vivid visual image," he shook his head, "I don't think that would be a good look on him."

The Doctor heard their laughter and blew out a sigh of relief. He had seen the strained looks on their face when they had returned to the TARDIS and had been wracking his brain trying to come up with an excuse to take them home, to save them further heartache. But this mirth made him reconsider that plan and let the journey continue.

"Have you decided then?" he called out to the still laughing couple.

"Yes," John answered, "we'd like to see the first day of school, uniform and all..." his eyes twinkled with merriment at the picture still stuck firmly in his mind.

They landed in a playground, coming to rest just behind a line of wheelie bins back by the football field. The bells were just ringing as they exited the TARDIS, and a wave of children surged towards the open doors of the school.

The building itself was red brick, with that cold institutional look most schools had. It seemed to John, who had never attended any school himself, that the idea was to make these structures both foreboding and impressive in the same manner that prisons were. 

He could just see the architectural meetings, "no sorry, that looks too friendly," a portly man with an ill fitting suit, would intone, mumbling around a half chewed cigar, "make the windows dark and set them just a bit too high in the walls. The lack of direct light will give it that necessary illusion of being both escape proof and claustrophobic!"

He was brought of out his musings but an elbow jabbing him in his side, they had been walking towards the sea of humanity the whole time his mind was off on its flight of fancy and they had gotten to the row of cars disgorging students. Hiding behind an impressively outfitted Range Rover they spotted their alternate selves in the crowd.

They moved towards the door. Each holding one hand of the clearly frightened young lad with unruly reddish blonde hair sticking out from under the regulation school cap, "why do I have to go to school?" the squeaky voice asked as his parents propelled him ever closer to the object of his fear.

"So you can learn," his mother replied smiling down at him.

"I can stay home and learn!" the boy insisted as his feet scrabbled as he tried to dig into the hard concrete to stop their progress, then turning to his father with a pleading look he continued, "why can't I just play in the lab instead?"

Violet, still hidden behind the SUV turned to John, "he doesn't have a Scottish accent!" she gasped.

The Doctor answered, "he wouldn't, in this reality he was not brought up there," he explained.

John only barely heard this exchange as he strained to listen to the familial conversation nearby. He heard his voice ask, "don't you want to find out new things and become a smart young man?"

"No!" came the emphatic reply, as the five year old dug his heels into the soft ground before the school steps bringing their momentum to an abrupt halt. 

His parents just chuckled at this. They knew once he got inside he would be fine, but their son's attempts to assert himself were amusing in a way it would probably dismay him to discover.

Violet was smiling softly at this scene. She remembered her first day at school, her mum having to pretty much drag her kicking and screaming into the scary world of higher learning. It would seem her son had inherited her strong will and determination as even at this young age he had the courage of conviction. Despite the fact that he was facing up to unwinnable odds.

Her heart skipped a beat as the SUV they were using for cover roared into life and they were forced to find other shelter. 

By the time they had secured another suitable hiding place the young family had managed to unstick their stubborn child and enter the building.


	7. Chapter 7

Violet ached to sneak inside and be sure that the frightened child was all right. Seeming to read her mind The Doctor spoke up, "you can't. Remember? No contact? You can't be seen!"

"I know," she shot back defensively, "I wasn't going to even suggest it," she added as if that was the furthest thing from her mind.

"We can hang around a bit and see how he is when school gets out..." John suggested, "if I remember correctly it's just a half day?"

"Right!" Violet quickly replied, "there's a tea shop over there, we can have something to nibble on and then be here when he gets out."

Something about this idea made the Time Lord uneasy. Maybe it was the fact that the would be in out in the open, exposed? What if their alternate selves showed up at the same time? He wanted to ask, but turning to look at the shop he saw it was almost empty. Only a lone woman arranging pastries in the display case. Suddenly feeling a bit hungry he agreed to the idea and they crossed the road.

The Doctor ordered one of almost everything from the wares, the woman behind the counter's eyes lit up as the till kept a running total. Just when Violet was wondering how this was going to be paid for, the Time Lord pulled out an impressive looking charge card and all was settled.

"Where did you get that?" she asked him as he loaded everything on a tray.

He shrugged, "technically it's a company card. UNIT's in fact, they issued it to me years back and it apparently has no credit limit." Balancing the food carefully he smiled, "I try not to abuse it, and it seems to be valid universe wide, which is pretty impressive."

John eyed the trays of pastries, sweets, breads and beverages with a slight frown, "are we expecting company?" he grabbed a croissant as it slid off the plate containing several of its brethren.

As he took his seat almost obscured by the feast in front of him The Doctor sighed, "I may have gotten a bit carried away," then with a grin he picked up a chocolate pastry and took a huge bite, as he did so a squirt of filling shot out and dribbled down his chin. 

"Charming," John snorted as he took a smaller bite of his croissant.

Violet couldn't help but laugh at the Time Lord's boyish antics as he quickly finished off the rest of his pastry, pausing only to wipe away the ribbon of chocolate from his face. Then weighing his options plucked a strawberry scone from one plate to devour next.

Watching the two of them it was hard to guess that the brown suited near-twin was older in years than the one staring at him with equal parts horror and fascination. She grinned at John's expression of stunned disbelief at the amount of sweets the Time Lord was downing.

Finally tearing his eyes away from The Doctor John turned to the window, holding a cup of tea in his hand, "how late does school run for children this age?" he asked distractedly.

Violet thought about this, "it's only half day," she answered after giving it some thought, "why do you ask?"

He gestured at the window and looking out she saw that the school was rapidly emptying out, "bit early, don't you think?" he asked.

She glanced at the wall clock, they had only been in the shop for a couple of hours! Before she could say anything The Doctor stuffed the last of his coconut biscuit in his mouth and walked to the door, as he opened it he could hear a bell ringing loudly, "fire alarm," he mumbled around his stuffed cheeks.

"Did you say fire alarm?" John asked rising to join him. Just as he wondered if there was something else going on the all clear bell sounded and everyone piled back into the school.

Violet's shoulders slumped in relief, "must have been a routine one. They did drills when I was in school. When I was in the fourth form we used to use those to sneak in a quick fag..." she smiled wistfully, "or a snog."

The shop girl took the sign that all of them were on their feet as a cue to pack up the leftovers and filling take away cups with more tea handed the bags to The Doctor and the tea to Violet, "come back and see us again," she smiled eyeing the near empty display cases, "we get in fresh every morning!"

Hanging out in the park until the midday bell rang they watched their parallel world's selves pick up their clearly excited young son as he showed them a drawing he did and babbled on about how fun school had been.


	8. Chapter 8

They walked back to the TARDIS in silence, Violet with a grin on her face, the almost twins both with masked expressions that would seem to a casual observer to be passive, removed. But one look into their eyes, would have told a different story.

Violet's mind was whirling, having not spent a great deal of time around children, she didn't know what ages were considered significant. Her only exposure to youngsters growing up were babysitting jobs that she found boring and tedious but kept her in beer money.

"When do Time Lords become adults?" she wondered aloud.

The Doctor's mouth opened but it was John who answered, "never, in my experience." 

This earned him a glare from both of his companions, but Violet also suppressed a giggle as she tried to look fierce as she swatted him on the arm playfully.

Wisely deciding to let that question slide, The Doctor opened the TARDIS and they all filed inside. Taking off his long coat and throwing it on the struts next to the door, completely ignoring the coat rack just inside, "ready for another visit?" he asked crossing to the console. When that got no response he looked over at the young couple, "anyone?" he prompted.

"We were just trying to figure when to go next," Violet answered, "what would you suggest?"

He looked surprised at the question and in fact he was. He didn't expect to have a lot of input into the decisions, just be the tour guide, after a fashion. "I am not really that familiar with the growth of human offspring," he mused, "but ten years old sounds like a good round number," he smiled, hands on controls, "shall we?"

Taking their confused nods as the OK the Time Lord quickly set the coordinates and they felt the slight jolt as the TARDIS took off.

When they landed they were outside their house, or rather, Violet corrected herself, where this reality's versions of themselves lived. The house was almost dark accept for light shining out of the cellar windows.

"How are we going to get in there?" Violet asked crouching down to peer into the curtained windows with limited success.

The Doctor circled the foundation before joining her again, "there's a bit better view in the back, one of the drapes are open," he crooked a finger inviting them to follow him. 

John found that by practically lying on the ground he could peer into the window with the surrounding shrubbery hiding him from view. Violet seemed less inclined to lay on the ground as it had recently rained at it was very damp.

"What can you see?" she whispered.

"I can see me, and oh, there he is," John's voice dropped as if the occupants of the cellar could hear him through the brick walls and thick glass. In the far corner of the room he could see a machine, that sort of resembled a lie detector rig, for two, only this one came equipped with silver metal head pieces with wires running from them. One set firmly attached to this world's John and the other to a gangly youth with reddish dark blonde hair, that he guessed was David.

They were both silent, but the machine was crackling and humming loud enough to be heard outside. The few lights that were on were flickering and dimming as he watched. He frowned trying to figure out what was going on. He was so lost in his quest to decipher the scene in front of him that when The Doctor spoke he nearly jumped out of his skin, "now that's interesting," the Time Lord's voice came from right next to him. He hadn't noticed that he had been joined until just then.

"Can you make out what that is?" John asked once he stopped his heart from trying to leap through his mouth.

"My best guess is it's a psychic training device, see that ball in front of them?" a long finger reached out and tapped on the window softly, "it looks like you, I mean that John is teaching his David how to use his psychic abilities. Today's lesson appears to be telekinesis."

Violet knelt down and peered into the window as well, noting the serious expressions on the faces in the cellar she swatted her husband, "would you do that to your child? Wire him up to a machine?"

Before John could formulate a response that would not get him hit again The Doctor spoke up, "that machine is a crude approximation of something that was used at the Academy when I was younger," then turning to the meta-crisis he explained, "you probably didn't recognise it at first because I really hated that thing, the one I used had the unfortunate habit of using dealt shocks if you didn't concentrate. I guess I tried to bury the memory."

John nodded, the imagery of that time coming to him at last, courtesy of The Doctor's memories of course, "and no," he looked at his wife sincerely, "I wouldn't, as I stand or actually, lay here now, but given that situation," he gestured with one hand, "it wouldn't be out of the question."

"That's no way to treat a ten year old boy," Violet grumbled as the ball floated a bit higher. As she said that the ball flew across the room to bounce off the window right in front of them.

The Doctor was the first to his feet, "we need to back up a bit, I think," he eyed the cellar carefully, "they didn't see us but it's possible that in this very receptive psychic state we may be registering a bit."

Just then the house flooded with light and the sound of a door shutting came from the front of the house, "boys?" Violet heard her voice call out, "I'm home! Where are you?"

John, still watching the scene in the basement saw his alternate's eyes pop open and hastily remove the devices from himself and then the boy opposite. As he disconnected the lad the child's eyes opened and he blinked tiredly as if woken from a deep sleep too soon. He was lifted from the stool he had been sitting on, and set on his feet.

As the two of them left the cellar John winced as his doppelgänger warned the slightly dishevelled young man, "remember, this is our secret, don't tell your mother," as he ruffled the boy's hair affectionately.


	9. Chapter 9

The Doctor pulled Violet to her feet, "we need to move out of sight," he pointed at the lights coming on in the back of the house now.

"We didn't get to see much of David," she whinged, "can we come back in the morning? What day is it?"

"Seventeenth of April 1981," The Doctor replied, "David's tenth birthday as I said."

"But David's birthday's the eighteenth..." Violet countered, still staring at the little boy through the glass. Her smile brightened suddenly. "Can we stay the night and see his party tomorrow?"

She didn't see him exchange a look with John, a look that told him that a party wasn't in the offing tomorrow or the next day. He could see this time line, clear as day but didn't want to be the bearer of the bad news. Something was not right and both the full blooded Time Lord and the half could feel it.

The Doctor looked at his wrist, as if checking a watch. "Ah. Right. Um... the thing is... I got the landing a bit wrong. Turns out the David's birthday party was last week..." he lied, he hoped convincingly. "I'm sorry..."

Violet sighed, "it's only a kid's party, probably a bunch of ten year old boys hyped up on sugar anyway, just as well. But I would like to see him tomorrow, he won't be in school and probably hanging out with some play mates..." her voice trailed off and a soft smile flitted across her face.

It was decided to move the TARDIS to someplace less conspicuous and call it a day. John really wanted to spend the night in his own bed but Violet convinced him to stay onboard the time capsule and the two of them went to her old room.

The excitement of the day had wrung her out so much so that the minute her head hit the pillow Violet was out like a light. John waited until she had reached deep sleep before slipping out of her embrace and sneaking out of the room.

Finding The Doctor was not hard, he was in his favourite place, the console room, tinkering with some odd bit of machinery. He didn't seem surprised to see John out of bed again so soon. He looked over the rim of his glasses as his near double, "you felt it too, didn't you?"

"I felt something," John replied, "but I'm not exactly sure what."

"This version of David has known from the very beginning that he is different. He is being raised with one foot in both worlds, that of a human and all that goes with that and that of a Time Lord," he took a deep breath before continuing, "so he is painfully aware, even at this young age that he is unique and thus has to deal with that duality."

John nodded, "and that's causing problems..."

"I don't know if I'd call them 'problems' but it's definitely skewing his view of the world, or more specifically his role in it," The Doctor blew out a breath, "the David in our reality didn't find this out until he was an adult. He had a pretty normal childhood, as a result and even though he had that niggling feeling he was different and he was, given his biology..."

"But he was never aware as to why until much later," John finished for him.

"Exactly," the Time Lord agreed, "and that can't be easy for a young boy to deal with."

Picturing the subdued boy, his eyes heavy lidded and yet haunted as his father led him from the cellar John asked, "how long has this been going on?" 

The Doctor started to deny any knowledge of that but knew his usual evasion tactics wouldn't work, he knew him too well.

"My guess would be two years, eight years is when children of Gallifrey are taken from their families to enter the Academy, and you, well this you would probably have started your version of those lessons about then," the Time Lord explained, then seeing the pained look on the meta-crisis' face he quickly added, "you wouldn't have done it out of malice, you would have wanted your son to have the knowledge that you have through me."

John nodded at this, but said nothing. The Doctor pretended to adjust the settings on what he had been working on before he was interrupted. Half wanting to know and half afraid to ask what the future held he finally rose from his seat and went back to his wife. Fully aware that sleep would not be joining him that night, but needing to hold her close he slipped back into bed, enfolding her in his arms and stared at the ceiling until the morning came.


	10. Chapter 10

Despite his fears, the next morning everything seemed to be more normal. The day was a typical early spring one, sun shining on grass glistening with dew. From their vantage point in the garden of a nearby house that appeared to be unoccupied, they watched the seemingly happy family gathered around a small table having breakfast.

This reality's version of Violet had made a stack of pancakes for the birthday boy, heaped high with clotted crème and fresh strawberries with a single candle on top. After the tradition song was song and the candle blown out the adults watched fondly as the young lad tucked into them with a wide smile.

John now wondering if he had let the memories of The Doctor's less than idyllic childhood somehow colour his view on the goings on from the night before. This boy seemed happy, he was smiling easily and didn't seem to have a care in the world.

Perhaps he had just been tired? That would certainly explain the impression he got from him as they exited the basement. As much as he really wanted that to be so, he couldn't quite convince himself of it.

Moments after the enormous breakfast was reduced to mere crumbs brightly wrapped presents made their début, carried to the garden by the obviously beaming parents and grandparents. It wasn't exactly the birthday party Violet had hoped for but everyone seemed joyous and there were smiles all around.

Except, The Doctor noted to himself, there was a strange air of forced gaiety about this all. His sense of the scene in front of them was not coloured by wishful thinking. He could see that there was a lot of, if not worry, concern in the eyes of the alternate John. His smile plastered on his face as he stood a bit back from the rest of them. He kept scanning the yard, looking around the area with the same care that a soldier would have in a combat situation.

He could hear the laughter as the presents were unwrapped and the 'oohs' and 'ahhs' but the air was thick with tension. Not wishing to worry his companions the Time Lord stayed silent. He send out feelers trying to find the source of the unease but it was so prevalent so invasive that it was hard to pinpoint it.

He thought he caught a flicker of something other than joy quickly flit across the proud mother's face as she gazed upon her son. He could almost taste her anxiety, a sour note on his tongue as she looked at the boy unwrapping another gift, but then just as swiftly it was replaced by a smile. An apparently genuine one as her eyes sparkled with emotion.

He glanced over to the two standing by his side and could see they were so focused on their son that they had not seen what he had seen. Which was good in some ways, he wanted this trip to make them happy, give them a bit of joy they would otherwise never experience. He just wished he could shake that feeling that things were not as they seemed.

Rubbing his eyes stepped back from them and turned to head back to the TARDIS. They'd join him when they were ready, he reasoned, but for his own sanity and theirs it would be best for him to walk away.

As the last gift was unwrapped Violet's face curled into a frown, "what is that?" she spoke softly to John as they strained to get a closer look.

Even the meta-crisis' impressive mind had a hard time identifying the object. It was a round polished metal disc like thing with a green light on top that was blinking slowly. As the birthday boy pulled it out of the box it beeped and began to spin, as it did so it hummed almost too softly for the ears to pick up but it registered in the mind as being there. It flew out of the startled child's hands and hovered over the gathering, little lights on the underside flashing as it did so. Then after a few moments it shot off into the sky and out of sight.

Pete was the first to break the stunned silence, "who do I have to kill to get a cup of tea?" he joked. As he said that the adults unfroze and went about securing him the requested beverage seeming to forget about the odd disc. Only the dark eyes of the young boy searched the sky for it, waiting for its return.

Rejoining The Doctor in the TARDIS John wasted no time describing what they had just seen. The Time Lord pinched the bridge of his nose as he searched his memory for something that matched the description.

"Did it have a black stripe around the edge?" he asked finally.

Closing his eyes John tried to remember the details, "I think so, it was whirling so fast I thought it was a shadow but it could have been a black stripe."

"And you said it flashed as it flew over?"

"Yes."

"Like the flash of a camera," Violet offered.

The Doctor nodded, "that's because in essence it was. That was Dankale recording device. Someone obviously sent it to take photos and possibly moving images."

"I thought the Dankale were extinct?" John countered.

"Just because they're gone doesn't mean their technology is. Could be someone got it elsewhere or purchased it during one of their market days, I'm pretty sure they had trade with other planets," then he quickly added, "before the whole thing went boom, that is. And before you ask I had absolutely nothing to do with that, despite the rumours to the contrary!"

Violet's head was still reeling and before she could think it out she asked, "why would someone use a Dankale recording device to film a ten year old boy's birthday breakfast?" but as she said that it dawned on her, "because of who he is..." she almost whispered.

John turned to The Doctor, "I think it's time to move on," he prompted glancing back at his now plainly distressed wife.

"Agreed," The Doctor quickly set the dematerialisation sequence and the ship gently swayed as it took off.


	11. Chapter 11

Waiting a good while after the other occupants of the TARDIS had turned in for the night The Doctor went back to revisit the ten year old David. Yes he had told Violet and John they couldn't have contact with the boy but it would not be out of the question for him to visit the child.

Or so he reasoned.

He timed it for just after the scene they had witnessed in the cellar. After David had gone up to bed, when his parents had settled in front of the television or whatever human parents did at that time of night.

Landing in the attic, he listened for any sign that the TARDIS had been heard but it seemingly hadn't so he quietly crept to the boy's room.

As he suspected, despite being told to go straight to sleep the young man was sitting up in bed, glasses perched on his nose, reading a book. He looked up with a guilty start when The Doctor entered the room, obviously thinking his father had caught him out.

"Don't worry," The Doctor smiled, "I won't tell if you won't tell on me."

"Deal," came the quick answer, but then the boy leaned forward, "are you The Doctor?" he asked his voice low and quiet, trying not to alert his parents.

"Yes, I am," the Time Lord nodded.

David looked past him, "where's your blue box?" 

"Hidden, out of the way for now."

"Can I see it?"

"Maybe next time," The Doctor's smiled widened, then he leaned in, "your mum and dad probably wouldn't approve of my visit so let's keep it our little secret."

At that phrase the child sighed, "why are grown ups always telling me to keep secrets?" he wondered.

The Doctor thought about this for a moment, "you're right it's not fair but I'm guessing if you told them you saw me because you disobeyed and read instead of turning the light off and going to sleep, you'd get in a spot of trouble," then he fished around in his pocket and pulled out a tin whistle, "it's not much but I wanted to give you something for your birthday."

Taking the whistle from the Time Lord the lad resisted the urge to blow it, instead he thanked him for the toy and slipped it into the nightstand next to his bed.

"So," The Doctor continued, "ten years old.....are you having a bit to-do tomorrow then?" he asked knowing full well what tomorrow would actually bring.

"No," David shook his head, almost unseating his glasses, "I'm too old for that."

"Who said? You're never too old for birthday parties!" 

"Me," the boy's face was grim, "and besides there's no one I want to see outside of school."

The Doctor sat on the edge of the bed, "you don't have any close mates?" he asked his voice soft and kind, "no buddies you hang around with? No chums?"

Before he could answer Violet's voice called up the stairs, "I said lights out young man!"

Cutting a worried look at the Time Lord, clearly torn between obeying his mum and continuing the conversation the lad eyed the light. The Doctor reached over and switched it off pulling a small torch from his pocket and handing it over, "letter of the law," he laughed as the torchlight illuminated the room.

Then his face serious he pressed on, "so, friends?"

"None of your business," the boy shot back defensively, "anyway I'm too old for silly birthday parties," his voice cracked a bit at that, "and I don't want to talk about it any more!"

There it was again, that sense of oddness about this too-serious child. He couldn't quite put his finger on it but there was something that was just bit wrong. He wanted to ask him if he was happy, if what he knew about himself made him stand apart from his school mates, but didn't think a ten year old would be able to completely verbalise these concepts.

With regret The Doctor stood up, knowing that pressing the him further would do no good, he recognised that firm set of the jaw, he had seen that same expression on John's and on his David's face before it meant that further discussion would be unwelcome. 

Instead he stood to leave, "happy birthday," he smiled as he quietly opened the door.

As he reached the TARDIS the doors opened, "I figured you'd do this," John pounced on him the minute he stepped inside, not waiting for him to even take off his coat, "lay down all these rules for us but once our backs were turned you'd violate them all!"

The Doctor didn't answer him at first, waiting until he had moved the TARDIS before replying, "you can't have contact because this reality already has a Violet and a John and that's a paradox. I timed my visit to not coincide with a different version of myself popping in. Thus no paradox."

John's anger faded and he sat down with a thump on the jumpseat, "how is he?" he asked after taking a few deep breaths.

"At that awkward age, not quite a boy, not quite a man," the Time Lord sighed softly, "and as I said pretty painfully aware he's different and that's not helped by all the secrecy forced upon him. Obviously he can't tell his friends about his heritage, like your Earth and the 'real' one aliens are still a bit of a novel concept. So he has to keep dark about that, plus with this training you, I mean his John is doing he can't hardly talk freely to anyone."

"I wish I could talk to this me, and maybe beat some sense into him," John snorted, "I'm pretty sure, as you said that he thinks this is for the best but I can't shake the feeling this alienation he's causing in his son is going to come back to haunt him." With that the he stood up, and without another word left the console room.


	12. Chapter 12

Even though he had been pretty sure that he wouldn't sleep John was surprised to wake up a few hours later, the room bright and his arms empty. Sitting up he looked around the room, but Violet was clearly somewhere else.

Getting dressed he made his way towards the main living area of the TARDIS. As he approached he heard voices coming from the kitchen and headed there. He stopped just outside the doorway to listen to the conversation inside.

Violet was sitting at the table, The Doctor opposite her, his feet propped up on an empty chair, half turned away from her and she was apparently trying to extract information from him that he was completely unwilling to impart.

"You can't tell me that you have no idea how this is going to work out?" she insisted leaning forwards.

The Time Lord shrugged, and offered no comment instead seeming to be very fascinated by the book perched on his knees even the meta-crisis could see he was actually holding the tome upside down.

"I'm not asking you for spoilers," Violet continued, "but the suspense is killing me," at this John noticed The Doctor's left eyebrow raised a bit but he remained silent.

"Does he get married? Have a family?" she pressed on. Then seeming to realise she was getting no where she stood up walked around the table, and snatched the book from the startled Time Lord's hands, "stop ignoring me!" she shouted making him jump.

"He's not ignoring you," John offered, finally making his presence known, "he's just not going to answer you."

Violet turned to her husband, her face still curled into a scowl, "and why not?" she demanded poking him in the chest with her index finger.

"Whoa," he stepped back a couple of steps, holding his hands up in gesture of surrender, "it's not me you're angry with," he gestured at the still silent Doctor, "remember?"

She laughed, "sorry you two look so much alike I got a bit confused there," then getting up on her tip-toes she gave her now smiling husband a kiss, "good morning love."

Then she whirled back on the Time Lord, "why won't you answer me?"

The Doctor stood up, "good morning," he smiled at John, "we have tea, coffee and some more of those bakery items on offer," he waved at the take away boxes of pastries, "help yourself!"

Violet scowled at him, but knew that any further attempts to get him to talk would be futile she sat back down at the table, tossing the book she had taken from him across the surface and poured some more tea, "I don't see how you can eat all that and not be twenty-eight stone," she mused as picked up a scone and seemed to examine it closely.

John took the seat next to her, wondering if The Doctor had told her about his clandestine visit from the night before, "did you tell her?"

Before he could answer Violet straightened up in her chair, "tell me what? Aside from 'good morning' and 'want more tea?' he hasn't said one word to me!"

The Doctor shot his almost-clone a murderous look, "I think I said 'fancy a biscuit' as well," he replied defensively.

"Tell me what?" Violet growled at the two of them.

Instantly regretting saying anything, John quickly stuffed a couple of cream biscuits in his mouth stalling for time.

"You two will have to talk to me eventually," she hissed, crossing her arms in front of her, and leaning back in her chair, "and I'm not going anywhere until you do."


	13. Chapter 13

Mere seconds after her dramatic announcement The Doctor jumped up from his seat, "so...." he exclaimed brightly, "where are we, correction, when are we off to now?"

John tried not to laugh at this obvious attempt at diversion, while Violet's face was a study in incredulity. She turned her attention to her husband and saw the mirth in his eyes and sighed, "I give up!"

Those words made the Time Lord grin widely, although he had the good grace not to crow about his victory. Instead he opened his arms like he was hugging the room, "come on! Time's wasting...now there's a phrase I can't imagine why I bother using. I have a time machine after all," he puzzled, a slight frown on his face, "and really it's not wasting so much as passing, and it's not like I can't go back and redo if needed..."

Letting him run out of steam before even attempting to answer his initial question Violet waited until he had stopped talking. Once he did she hummed thoughtfully, "we just saw ten, and puberty usually hits boys when?" she pondered. Then seeing the blank looks on the other's faces it struck her, being a Time Lord The Doctor would have no idea and her husband, born an adult would have never experienced it, so they were clueless. "Let's settle on fourteen, that seems about right," she concluded.

John shook his head, "you really want to see a spotty, gawky teenager with hormone issues?"

Violet's minds eye had pictured something a bit different, more of a boy-child on the verge of manhood, she could see the long limbs and the skinny frame, perhaps a bit of peach fuzz? She smiled softly, "yes I do," she nodded dreamily.

The TARDIS was parked in an alley way that ran next to the row of houses. The moment they stepped outside the time capsule it was apparent something wasn't quite right. 

It was not yet dawn, the sky was in transition but even in the half light the house seemed deserted. Unlike the neighbouring houses where porch lights shone, their house was unlit.

The Doctor could taste the wrongness as they grew nearer, it had the flavour of mouldy bread with a hint of rancid thrown in for good measure. Every nerve in his body jumped as he tried to keep his appearance casual, not wanting to alarm the others until he could get a handle on the situation.

A quick glance at John told him that the meta-crisis was also experiencing this sense of foreboding. He still held his wife's hand as they walked, but his carriage was rigid and his eyes seeking the source of whatever was causing this unpleasantness.

The Time Lord was the first to reach the house, he peered in the back window into what would be the sitting room. The furniture was scattered about the place like a tornado had struck. He was about to suggest they recheck their coordinates hoping they had landed in the wrong parallel world but he turned to find he was alone.

John had half led, half dragged Violet around to the front of the house. The iron guard rails for the steps were festooned with bright yellow police barricade tape and the door had been sealed with a sticker warning that an investigation was still in progress. 

They stood stock still taking in the broken window hastily repaired with wood nailed over it. The covering was blocking their view of the foyer as The Doctor joined them. He was about to say something when they heard someone opening the door one house over. Gesturing for John and Violet to duck down into the bushes The Doctor waited until a woman, clad in a bathrobe, hair still sleep mussed appeared.

She bent to pick up the paper from her porch and then noticed the tall man dressed in a brown pin stripe suit standing there, "did you find them yet?" she asked, her voice concerned.

"Not yet," The Doctor quickly replied figuring she must have thought he was an inspector or something, "I know you've probably spoken to many of my colleagues but if you would be so kind..." 

She nodded eagerly, "yes, of course come in!" she stepped back from the doorway and ushered him inside.

Once she had settled him down at her kitchen table and shoved a cup of weak lukewarm tea into his hand she began, "it were a couple of nights ago, right? when it all happened," she sipped her own tea before continuing, "they seemed like a nice family, the boy was a quiet sort, not a trouble maker like some around here. Kept to himself a lot. Hardly ever saw him outside. But recently there was a lot of shouting and arguing going on. For about a fortnight before, well you know. Not that I'm one to eavesdrop, mind, but these walls are so thin you could hear a mouse pass wind through em!"

"Could you tell what these arguments were about?" The Doctor prompted, trying not to gag as he forced himself to drink more of the weak brew with fake crème and enough sugar added to render it sludgy.

"It were mostly the father, I think he was the dad, they resembled each other enough, him and the boy. You know how lads that age are, stroppy, mooning about girls and rock stars. Probably getting sassy and thinkin' he was above minding his pa, my son George got like that, lippy and just evil at times, but he's all better now. Want to see a picture of him and my new granddaughter? She is just the sweetest little thing..." 

When her guest didn't bite on the offer she clicked her tongue in disappointment but pressed on, "it seemed to stop once the wife got home. Then two nights ago I was trying to watch my shows, and there was this row going on, so loud I almost had the volume all the way up in order to hear!"

"Then there was this sound like furniture being thrown about, and then it stopped. How was I supposed to know? I just was glad they shut the hell up so I could watch my shows with the volume at a normal level!" she patted her breast, "when the police came round asking about them and said they had disappeared with no trace. All three! You could have knocked me over with a feather."

Thanking her for her information and almost sounding sincere in his thanks for the tea The Doctor let himself out.

John and Violet popped out of the bushes and rushed over to him, "what did you find out?" Violet asked.

"We should head back to the TARDIS, you can't be seen," the Time Lord answered, "then we can talk."


	14. Chapter 14

The walk back was quiet and blissfully short. They stepped into the safe confines of the time capsule before attempting conversation.

"What did you find out?" John asked softly.

"Not much to be honest," The Doctor admitted as he leaned against one of the struts, "seems there was a few weeks of some unrest, the neighbour said it was mostly between 'the father and son' and once this reality's Violet came home it stopped."

"Could she make out what the arguments were about?"

"She didn't say, I'm gathering that if she had known she would have told me. She strikes me as one of those people who like the attention from this sort of thing, even if she is horrified by the idea," the Time Lord rubbed his eyes, "I felt something and I'd like to go back to the house, but it's too light out right now. I'm going to wait until tonight."

"I'm coming too," John announced, his jaw set in a firm line. 

Violet thought at first there would be some sort of protest from The Doctor at this declaration but he just nodded, "might be useful," he agreed, "until then let's get out of here, no use calling attention. The investigation is still in progress and I don't want to answer questions about a police box suddenly appearing where no police box previously existed, if I can help it."

Later that night and despite her best efforts Violet sat alone in the TARDIS. She had threatened, begged, cajoled, whined and even tried sweet talking the two almost-twins but in the end she was left behind. She knew better than to try to sneak out of the time capsule. If her pilot wished her to stay inside nothing Violet could do would convince her to open her doors.

She plotted revenge of all sorts. And even though she knew she would never act on it, it was amusing to picture holding the Time Lord upside down over a vat of boiling custard and slowly lowering him inside. 

As they approached the house the foul taste hit the Time Lord's tongue once again. But the face John was pulling he could tell he wasn't alone. 

"What is that?" the meta-crisis asked, licking his lips.

"My best guess..." The Doctor sighed, "and you know that most of my guesses are pretty spot on.."

He paused seeming to be unwilling to finish that sentence. Just when John thought he needed a hard blow to the back of the head to jar his memory, he continued, "it's blood, human and human/Time Lord blood, and the unmistakable scent of madness. With just a hint of some sort of cleaning solution," he concluded.

As they reached the front of the house John thought he caught movement out of the corner of his eye, "there's someone in there," he whispered. Then he shook his head, the police tape was still in place and the sticker intact so there was no way someone could have gotten in.

Apparently reading his mind the Time Lord whispered, "unless that someone never actually left," he pointed to one of the cellar windows. Great care had been taken to blacken them out but just the faintest of lights appeared from around a gap in whatever had been used. It was too faint to catch the attention of the human eye but to the two standing there it was as bright as the sun.

By crouching low in the bushes John could see movement in the small space, the figure was humanoid, male, tall and thin but due to the film on the windows it was impossible to make out the details.

"It's not Violet," the meta-crisis spoke low enough to not draw attention to himself but it was loud enough for The Doctor to hear him.

Or would have been if the Time Lord was anywhere to be seen. 

John scanned the night for him but couldn't see him anywhere. He heard a crunch of gravel from the rear of the house. He rose quickly to his feet and came around the corner just in time to see a brown pin stripe clad backside disappearing through the back door.

Hesitating to follow him John hung back. He wasn't afraid. But he knew that his mere presence here was a paradox, if he encountered himself he could cause severe damage to the fabric of reality.

As he stood undecided he heard what sounded like the howl of an animal in pain and a loud crashing noise from inside the house.

Throwing caution to the wind he opened the door and went inside.


	15. Chapter 15

The scene that greeted him made his heart stutter in his chest. The Doctor was standing stock still as the figure behind him held him around the chest with one long arm and the other arm's hand was clutching a wickedly sharp looking knife, the blade laying against his throat.

"You're supposed to be dead!" a voice hissed from behind the Time Lord. But before John could reply a pair of extremely dark eyes sparkling with insanity in the dim light glared at him over the hostage's shoulder, "why aren't you dead?" 

"Technically," The Doctor started, his voice a great deal more calm than someone in his situation should be, "that's not your father. He's a..." his words were cut off by the knife blade pressing further into his neck.

"Shut up!" At that the Time Lord's captor stepped out from behind him, revealing himself. 

In the dim light afforded by the neighbouring houses John could see the face quite clearly now. The face, now a mask of anger with eyes glittering with hate and madness staring at him. The face that he knew as intimately as his own. The face of his son. 

"Oh, David..." he breathed out, even as his mind refused to believe.

"You are supposed to be dead," the young man approached him, still using The Doctor as a shield, "I slit your throat, I watched you die!"

"As I was trying to tell you..." the Time Lord started. He never got to finish that sentence. With a sharp intake of air, the knife was removed from his neck and the handle end came crashing down on the back of his head knocking him out.

"I said shut up!" the teenager yelled as he watched the thin body fall to the floor. He smiled widely at the sound of the inert Doctor's head hitting the tiled surface, nodding with satisfaction as a thin trickle of blood ran from his mouth.

John was frozen to the spot, his mind whirling but his limbs seemingly locked in place. David took advantage of this to grab him in the same hold he had used on The Doctor and John could feel the cold bite of the blade as it nicked his skin.

"You're coming with me," the young man ordered pushing him towards the cellar door. 

As they descended the steps the smell of death hit John's sensitive sense of smell. To a normal human it would have been almost impossible to detect, great care had been taken to mask the scent but it was like a smack in the face to the meta-crisis.

"Your parents are dead," he stated, his voice completely devoid of emotion, "you killed them."

"I thought I had," came the response, "but you don't look very dead to me."

"As The Doctor was trying to tell you I'm not really your father," John continued hoping that by talking to this reality's David he could get him to relax, "I'm from a parallel reality, I have a son David as well but in my world he's a grown man."

"And they call me crazy," David replied, "you expect me to believe that? When have you ever been completely honest with me?"

"I'm telling you the truth."

"I don't have to listen to you, I will never have to listen to you again!" this was shouted so loudly that John's ears rung, "no more talking!" he shoved John away from him, causing him to catch the backs of his knees on the wooden chair just behind them, sitting down with a thump on it. He was swiftly secured to the chair by restraints on his arms and legs.

As he locked the straps in place he put the knife down, "maybe I killed you too quickly last time," he mused. He walked away laughing to himself. Next came a sound, like the opening of a storage locker the creaking of the lid filled the small cellar.

Moment later David returned with a metal headpiece attached to a small box-like device that John remembered seeing on a previous visit. "Remember this father?" the teenager slammed the box portion of it down on the table behind him making him jump.

"I always hated this thing," he continued, "no matter how much I pleaded with you, you never listened! You said it was important to learn mind control! Ha! Fat lot of good it did me! Any time I used what you taught me I got in trouble, or teased or worse!"

"Did you enjoy setting me up to be the laughing stock? Knowing that there would be no one I could ever relate to? No one who could ever know the real me?" he leaned in mere centimetres from John's face his hot breath searing as he spat out those works. After a moment he reared back and took a deep breath getting himself under control, "did you get a kick out of making my life hell?" he asked his voice low and soft.

He leaned over and placed the headpiece on John's head tightening the chin piece down until it cut into his scalp, "you always said that it would be worth it one day," he plugged the cord into the power socket and switched it on turning all the dials up to their maximum settings. 

As the surge of energy hit John his vision went white and he jerked in the restraints, his whole body going into a series of convulsions that seemed to please the lad, "maybe you were right," he laughed watching this all with a wide smile.


	16. Chapter 16

The Doctor's head throbbed in time with his hearts as his eyes flickered open. Momentarily disoriented he couldn't figure out why he was laying face first on the floor. Then with a rush it all came back to him. David had attacked him.

This reality's version of the kind and sweet man he had come to know and love was an insane murderer. He had never imagined that this would come to pass. He had known that the boy was troubled and could feel the wrongness of his energy but he didn't have the first clue this was going to happen.

Obviously the troubled youth had stashed his parent's bodies somewhere in the cellar and hidden himself so well that he wasn't found when the police searched the house. 

The Doctor rose to his feet slowly, there was something he was forgetting but he couldn't put his finger on it. As a crackle of electricity filled the air and when he heard laughter he remembered, John!

With a rush he ran down the basement stairs and saw David standing just in front of the now deadly still meta-crisis. The lad whipped around, grabbing the knife and approached him, "you're next," he smiled thinly.

"I don't think so," The Doctor shook his head, "tell me, that machine, it's not supposed to electrocute people it's designed to be used as a training device. What did you do to it?"

"It gives out mild shocks, usually," David agreed with him, "I just modified it a bit. I didn't think I'd ever get to use it, I'm pleased at how well it works!"

"Why did you kill them?" the Time Lord's voice was low and soothing.

At first he thought he was not going to get an answer, but then David's expression changed. He no longer wore a mask of rage, he looked so young and so lost as his eyes filled with tears, "they didn't understand...." he gulped, "I couldn't do it anymore. I can't..." he broke off, wiping his free hand across his face, "I had no friends, nobody cared and even though I am so much better than the little idiots I go to school with they had the nerve to treat me like a freak!"

The Doctor understood immediately, and it broke his hearts, "you are not a freak, you are a smart and very unique young man," he took a step towards the now sobbing teenager, "I can help you, this doesn't have to end like this."

As he took one more step David's rage returned, "don't come any closer," he growled, "you can't help me! I don't want your help! All I want from you is to die!"

"You don't mean that," The Doctor replied calmly, "I don't think you really meant to kill your parents."

"I slit their throats! How is that accidental?"

"I don't believe you planned to do that, you just snapped. Am I right?" the Time Lord continued, "something happened, and you reached the point where you couldn't take it any more."

"I don't remember any of it," David replied his voice soft and filled with horror, "one minute I was being reprimanded for making Bobby Marshall fly across the football field into the net, even though he deserved it! And the next I'm standing over their bodies, this knife in my hand, covered in blood. There was so much blood..."

"My head hurt! I tried to walk away but they followed me! I came down here," he gestured around the room, "to try to get away! Why did you follow me?" he yelled at John's inert form, "you shouldn't have done that! Why couldn't you just leave me alone?"

Unseen The Doctor had stepped in close to him, and in one swift movement he yanked the knife from the boy's hand and threw it across the room. Before that could register he clamped his thin fingers on the pulse points of David's temples and made contact with his mind. The teenager's eyes rolled up in his head as his legs gave way and the Time Lord lowered him gently to the ground.


	17. Chapter 17

John had discovered alcohol within days of being born and then abandoned by his creator. The taste wasn't as pleasing as the instant feeling of well being and later, the oblivion it afforded him. But not being a full blooded Time Lord and not being blessed with the same metabolism as one, he also discovered the concept of a hangover. And that's exactly how he felt when he woke up. Massively and dreadfully hung over without the fun of being drunk before hand.

He opened his eyes slowly, biting back the urge to retch as his stomach did somersaults in time with his heartbeat. He was in the TARDIS' medbay, the lights hurting his head as he looked around the room.

Violet was sitting by him, holding a damp flannel in her hand, she smiled down at him, "welcome back love."

"David?" he croaked, before clearing his throat, "what happened to David?"

Taking a moment to set the flannel down Violet stood up and walked to the intercom button, "he's awake."

Seconds later The Doctor appeared. He pulled up a chair and took a deep breath, "where do you want to start?" he began.

"Did he kill them?" John asked remembering the rage in David eyes as he strapped him into the chair.

"Yes, he did," the Time Lord sighed heavily, "I tried to repair his mind but it's too broken. He will be a ward of the crown for the rest of his life, most likely, but he is in good hands. They will take good care of him, I'll check back and make sure of it."

"What I don't understand, " Violet interjected, "is why this David went crazy and our version didn't?"

"A little knowledge, or in this case a lot of knowledge, can be a bad thing," The Doctor continued, "our David has always suspected he was different. He had that innate feeling of it but it wasn't until he was an adult that he found out why. He was already a fully grown man. By then he that had the sense of self that no child could ever have, so he was able to handle it better once the truth was known."

The Time Lord shifted in the chair before pressing on, "the other world's David knew from the beginning but was never allowed to tell anyone, outside from the family. It was not done out of shame, rather to protect him like you two did by giving him up in your world. But because he knew he was different he felt that it set him apart. Made him feel superior and thus isolated."

"Our David had a relatively normal childhood, this one did not," John sighed.

"The bodies were in a crate wrapped in bin bags, he covered them with lime and sealed it off. The police were 'tipped off' and they will finally be able to be laid to rest..." The Doctor trailed off looking at the stunned faces of the other two.

"In sending him away, you did the right thing. You allowed David to grow into the man he is today, and in saving him, you saved your own lives," he stood up, "I think it's time to take you home."

John agreed but Violet took The Doctor's arm in hers, "can we see our David before you do? It would really help to ease our minds, please?"

The Time Lord smiled sadly, "of course," he nodded once and left the medbay glancing back briefly he saw the two of them embrace holding onto each other as if they were drowning.


	18. Chapter 18

The loud grinding sound of the TARDIS landing woke David from a dead sleep. He groaned as he took his glasses from the nightstand and saw the time on the alarm clock, "it's four in the morning!" he grumbled before throwing back the covers and putting on his robe to make his way downstairs.

The shed had been missed, but the garden gnome his sister had given him was reduced to plaster dust and just the tip of its jaunty red hat peaked out from under the familiar blue box.

He was about to say something about the carnage when the doors flew open and Violet launched herself at him, hugging him so hard he could barely breathe. John was standing in the doorway watching this with a sad smile on his face.

Violet pulled back and cupped his face in her hands, her eyes shining with tears. 

"Is something wrong?" David asked looking at her with a frown. When she didn't answer he looked over her shoulder at John with a questioning glance.

The Doctor stepped out and put his hand on the actor's shoulder, "it's sort of a long story and one that I'm not sure would benefit anyone by retelling," then he glanced down and saw the wrecked gnome, "sorry about that, I can buy you a replacement."

Before David could reply John snorted, "you are a menace to gardens," he laughed, "what's next crushing the shed?"

"He's already done that," David answered distractedly as Violet buried her face in his chest her whole body shaking. He felt the front of his robe getting wet as she cried in his arms.

The Doctor quickly changed the subject, "have you been in contact with Jack? How's The Master been doing? Behaving himself?"

For an unknown reason David blushed a bit at the first question and cleared his throat before answering, "as far as I know Jack's had him on a pretty short leash, but I think everyone there will be happy to get him out of their hair."

"No doubt," The Doctor agreed. Then turning to John, "as I was saying, time to get you home..."

John gently extracted his still sobbing wife from the confused David's embrace and walked her to the TARDIS, handing her over to The Doctor before coming back to hug the completely bewildered man himself.

The Doctor hung back a bit. It was clear to David that he wanted something, "yes?" he prompted.

The Time Lord lifted his hands to hover just next to the tall Scot's temples, "may I?" he asked waiting for the nod of approval before touching his long fingers to the pulse points. After a brief scan he pulled back, "good!" he smiled, patting him on the shoulder and walked back to his beloved time capsule.

Before disappearing inside he turned around, "oh and thank you for not being a raving lunatic psycho killer!" he called out as the doors clicked shut.

"You're welcome!" David laughed pulling his robe in tightly as the chill night air hit the wetness left by Violet's tears. He watched the TARDIS de-materialise before walking back inside the house. He glanced out at where the time machine had been, "what in the hell was all that about?' he shook his head as he closed the door behind him.


End file.
